Liverpool lost out to Sunderland in the race for Ipswich Town striker Connor Wickham due to their overloaded wage bill.
Anfield boss Kenny Dalglish was keen on Ipswich's England Under-21 striker, and was contemplating an 11th hour move to thwart Sunderland in the chase for the youngster.
But Sunderland and manager Steve Bruce were the winners, snapping up the coveted 18-year-old in a £13million deal.
Sunderland's bold bid for Wickham came at a bad time for Liverpool, with the owners wanting some of their fringe players being offloaded before new signings are made.
